


Fate/Delta Rune

by CandescenceAria



Category: Deltarune (Video Game), Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA ILLYA, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Shirou takes the role of another series protagonist, a common fate crossover trope really, also magical girl shenanigans to be had, and also dude magnet, and also not brain-damaged like mainline Shirou, but no loli nonsense, but plenty of material for nasuverse buffs to speculate about, he's somewhat different from kris, lots of hugs for Ralsei, seriously none of that ew, still as much of a clueless chick magnet as ever though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-10-30 23:54:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17838443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CandescenceAria/pseuds/CandescenceAria
Summary: In a world where humans and monsters co-exist side by side, Shirou Emiya lives in peaceful coastal Fuyuki City, with his little sister Illyasviel, the family maids, and their caretaker, Toriel, a friend of the family and a second mother to the two human children. However, Shirou's peaceful days are turned upside down when he and the local school bully, Susie, end up in a dark world, and meet with the prince of the Kingdom of Darkness Ralsei, who informs them that they are heroes of prophecy who must save the world from destruction.Seal the dark fountains, save the world. Sounds simple, right? Well, no. On top of their arch-nemesis after their heads and doing everything in his power to slay our heroes, the Delta Warriors realise that Fuyuki is a city of secrets in its own right, which complicates things further. And Shirou doesn't even know that his own sister is a magical girl with grave secrets of her own, some she doesn't even know herself...





	Fate/Delta Rune

**Author's Note:**

> So I wanted to write a Fate crossover with Deltarune (since I've kinda been writing a Fate/Undertale crossover as well that's unpublished), but how to make it work was another question. I am typically more the type to write by the seat of my pants when it comes to my fiction stuff, but I feel it would be a poor idea to not do at least some long-term planning (which I still haven't fully sorted out but still have some time to do that) due to the nature of the story, and especially since Deltarune isn't a complete story yet. Though it was easy to figure out how it starts, because the initial setup of Deltarune fits Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya to a tee. And yes, I'm going to avoid/minimise the sketchy stuff from the latter as much as possible.
> 
> I may not be that good of a writer, but I do hope I can do this thing justice at least a little. Do bear with me for chapter 1 (since most of you already know how it'll mostly go and I have a bad habit of transcribing stuff which I need to shake off), things are going to get significantly more original (hopefully) when we hit the chapter's end.

_**Prologue: Another Him** _

Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg was many things. A magus. The wizard of the Second Magic, and master of the Kaleidoscope. The man who challenged an Ultimate One and triumphed, though at not insubstantial cost to himself, and may never be as powerful as he once was then. A Dead Apostle, albeit one who had figured out how to mitigate many of the downsides of his condition, and drove away the temptations that came with the territory. A man everyone wanted to learn from, but also someone many dreaded being a student of, as almost all who sought to learn under his tutelage as a wizard would inevitably be driven mad. Also, there was this weird rumour going around that he was a prankster, but the man himself figured it was at least one of his many, _many_ alternate selves making mischief. Fortunately, he had a perfect memory, so it was easy for him to keep track of those as well as the various universes he visited. One of the benefits of having a mind sharp enough to actually be able to perform true magic.

But ultimately, the universal constant was that Zelretch was a truly good man. And a good man looks out for his friends.

Zelretch didn’t exactly have many people still living who he considered friends, however. That’s the problem with being immortal, you outlive basically every normal human being, and most of the other immortals aren’t particularly pleasant people. Either that, or they’re outright monsters. However, there was one unusual case of someone he genuinely had a friendship with. This person lived in the cracks between universes, and he had never been human to begin with.

The wizard opened the door to the quaint little wooden house in space-time that was literally formed from energy converted to matter, and even then parts of that matter would briefly flicker to its original state. “Excuse me, Doctor Gaster.”

“AH, KISCHUR, MY FRIEND! PLEASE, IT’S NO TROUBLE!” Spoke a male voice, coming from someone working at a desk in the corner of the room. He resembled a slightly-melted skeleton with notable cracks on his face, and wore a black suit, or a robe, or… It was difficult to tell, like his very appearance was in flux. But the wizard could also see the ghostly images of other inhuman creatures working around him. Their relationship with the good doctor was difficult to ascertain – assistants, or possibly fragments of his being. “I DO APPRECIATE YOUR VISITS. AND YOU’VE COME AT QUITE AN EXCITING TIME, TOO.”

Doctor W. D. Gaster, a brilliant mind who was once a royal scientist, had performed a feat that was so spectacular in both its results and its failure. Through his talks with the good doctor, Zelretch had figured out that he had somehow decoupled himself from the normal flow of time and space, allowing him partial omniscience over the Kaleidoscope. However, this came with a steep price, as all memory of him was erased. Zelretch still wasn’t sure how far-reaching this effect was, but he determined it affected multiple universes.

Gaster, for all intents and purposes, was able to observe multiple universes, and interact with them to a limited degree. But as far as these worlds were concerned, he didn’t exist. But he took to Zelretch’s lectures about the Kaleidoscope like a fish to water. He was either a one-of-a-kind genius… Or possibly already too mad to be overwhelmed. Fortunately, Gaster was also certainly not malicious, as far as Zelretch could tell.

“Do tell,” Zelretch said. “I have noticed you’ve been quite busy as of late.”

“INDEED, INDEED. AND I HAVE YOU TO THANK, FRIEND. THIS NEXT EXPERIMENT WILL BE VERY, VERY INTERESTING. AND POSSIBLY BENEFICIAL, IF IT PANS OUT,” Gaster turned towards Zelretch with a wide smile, “ALLOW ME TO SHOW YOU. IT IS, AT ITS CORE, A STORY OF LIGHT AND DARK...”

* * *

 

_**Chapter 1: The Legend of** **Delta Rune** _

“Shirou!”

The young man groaned in bed as he opened his eyes, awoken by the motherly figure standing by his bed, opening the window blinds. “Toriel...”

“It’s not like you to be still in bed this late, young man. That ruckus last night really must have thrown you off,” Toriel said with a smile. The goat monster was a caretaker to the young man and his sister while their parents were away on business. “Are you all right?”

“I told you last night, I’m fine,” Shirou said, sitting up, “I slipped during that incident with the bathroom and knocked myself out, and it’s good that I hit the rug, but it’s not like I got a concussion...”

“Well, do be a bit more careful next time, Illya does like to look at the stars,” Toriel said, heading for the door, “now get dressed and have breakfast, otherwise we’ll be late. I’m cooking this time, so don’t worry yourself about that.”

“Right, of course,” Shirou smiled, as he started getting dressed. He preferred to make his own meals, but Toriel, he could trust to handle that duty.

“Good morning, big bro!”

“Good morning, Illya,” Shirou smiled as he arrived in the living room area, giving his little sister a headpat much to her delight.

“You’re uncharacteristically late, Master Emiya,” Sella, one of the maids, said. While she herself was a hard worker, her sister Leysritt was _not,_ which was partly why Toriel was around – the motherly goat monster was able to actually get her off the couch most of the time and earn her ‘rent’. “Are you sure you’re alright after last night?”

“It’s fine, Sella,” Shirou said, as he sat down at the table.

“Azzy’s coming home next week,” Leysritt said, lazing on the couch.

“Oh, yes, he is. I hope the weather stays as nice as it is today,” Toriel smiled, as she started serving breakfast. “It’ll be so good to see him again. Though, I wonder, after the excitement of university, if Fuyuki will be too small for him...”

“You say that like Fuyuki is some small town, Lady Toriel,” Sella said. “I’m sure he’ll be just fine.”

“I really both Dad comes home as well,” Shirou said.

“Oh? You miss him that much?” Toriel asked.

“Well, I do miss him… But the ratio of men to women in this household is a problem.” He wished Toriel hadn’t broken up with Asgore, but… Even he knew it was justified. And he dared not bring up the topic in front of her.

“Oh… I can imagine it’d be awkward being the only man in the house,” Toriel said sincerely. “It’ll be even more awkward when you eventually move out, but you’re so independent. Illya should learn from your example, Shirou.”

“If I was older, Tori-mama,” Illya pouted. “I can’t compete with Shirou yet!”

“Nonsense, my child, you’re not too young to learn,” Toriel smiled softly, patting her on the head. “Why, when I was your age, my own mother was teaching me how to make butterscotch-cinnamon pies. Perhaps I wasn’t quite as I good at it as I am now, but...”

Illya’s eyes lit up at the prospect, “teach me after school, Tori-mama!”

“Of course, Illya, but only if you agree to let me teach you how to make _other_ dishes as well. I know you love my pies, but you need to learn _some_ variety.”

“DEAL!”

Shirou chuckled, as he ate. While Toriel was not officially their mother, and Irisviel at least visited every so often to check in, Illya considered her their second mother, and Asriel their older brother. Shirou still didn’t know why the Dreemurrs started living with Kiritsugu Emiya and Irisviel von Einzbern, but it worked out for the best, as it was a lively family indeed.

* * *

 

Toriel, of course, walked to school with Shirou and Illya, seeing Shirou off at the gates to Homurahara Academy, giving her teenage ward a big hug before parting ways with him.

For a moment, Shirou swore he noticed something poke out from Illya’s bag, but he decided it was just morning tiredness getting to him.

Shirou arrived at homeroom, which was lively as expected, filled with both humans and monsters. The homeroom teacher, Ms. Alphys, stopped and turned to him, “oh, good morning, Shirou! I was wondering if you weren’t coming today, it’s not like you to be this late.”

“I slept in a little, Ms. Alphys, it’s fine,” Shirou said, as he started making his way to his seat. He was already being noticed by most of the classroom.

“Yo, Emiya! What’s crackin’, haha?”

“Howdy, Shirou!”

“SHIOU! HOI!!!!!”

“… Hey.”

“Hey, Emiya! How’s it hangin’, dude?”

Shirou noticed that even Berdly and Shinji Matou had stopped arguing as he approached his seat, with the bird monster greeting him first, “ah, Emiya, nice of you to join us. How shamefully late of you.”

“Shut up, birdbrain, even he has his bad days,” Shinji said. “Yo, Emiya.”

“Screw you, seaweed-hair.”

“Good morning, you two,” Shirou said, as he sat down at his seat. “Vitriolic best buds as usual, I see.”

Despite the immediate objections from the two guys, he heard a giggle from his other side, and he turned to see the reindeer girl sitting to his right. “Good morning, Shirou. Are you sure you packed your pens and pencils today?”

“Good morning, Noelle. It’s fine, I haven’t gotten that sloppy,” Shirou said.

“No offense, babe, but you’re as bad as he is when it comes to helping people,” Shinji said.

“Um… Please don’t call me that, Shinji,” Noelle said shyly.

“Sorry, what was that?”

“I… I sai-”

That’s when the classroom door flung open, slamming loudly enough to silence the entire class.

Stepping into the room, was a purple, reptilian monster girl who was tall enough to easily stand a head over the other students. She had long, boyish aubergine hair covering her eyes, and a long snout with freckles on the sides. Her uniform wasn’t in the best condition, and actually wore pants from the male uniform rather than the skirt from school’s female uniform, and basically half-assed her top, which wasn’t even fully buttoned up. “… Am I late?”

“H-Hi, Susie,” Alphys said meekly, immediately intimidated by her presence. “O-Oh, not at all, we’re just about to start… Now, then, since everyone’s here...”

Alphys suddenly noticed the chalk was missing from the chalkboard, and she couldn’t find any in her desk. “Uh… Has anyone seen the chalk? This is the third time it’s gone missing, and… Y-you all know I can’t start class without some!”

There was an awkward pause.

“H-How about this! If nobody speaks up… Everyone gets in trouble!”

The problem was, Alphys was too much of a pushover, and nobody took her threat seriously. Shirou honestly pitied her. One could swear she almost whimpered. “… Anyone? P-Please?”

Suddenly, Noelle spoke up. “There might be a box in the supply closet! Alphys-sensei, why don’t Susie and I-”

“G-good idea, Noelle! Susie! S-Since you came in last… Why don’t you go get it for me…?” Alphys asked, trembling slightly as she turned to Susie.

“… Whatever.” Susie walked out, and slammed the door behind her.

“Uh… Shirou? Can you go with her and… Make sure she actually gets it? And, um, stays out of trouble…?” Alphys winced.

“Sure, I can do that,” Shirou said, standing up. “I’ll be back soon.”

“He’s dead,” Berdly and Shinji said in unison.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure she can’t be so bad, you know…? I’m sure things will turn out just fine,” Noelle tried to reassure him as the rest of the class muttered among themselves. “Also… Could you, um, say hi to her for me…?”

As Shirou walked out of the classroom, he could hear the general tone of what everyone was expecting to happen – Susie was going to, at the very least, beat the crap out of him. Or possibly kill him. He was fairly sure the latter was a joke… Mostly.

As he closed the classroom door behind him, he saw Susie heading towards where the supply closet was, and he followed. She suddenly stopped, taking out a piece of chalk, and taking a large bite out of it, before noticing that he saw her. “… Emiya. Didn’t see you there.”

“Didn’t know you ate chalk,” Shirou said, trying to strike up a conversation from a distance. “You could just buy your own rather than stealing from the classroom...”

“… What’s the fun in that?” Susie said, approaching him. Shirou took a step back, but she was on him in a second, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him into a wall. “Too bad for you, you shouldn’t have seen that. I know your goody-two-shoes shtick, Emiya. But I know exactly what yer thinkin’. ‘’It’s over! I caught Susie eating ALL the chalk! This was her LAST chance! Now she’ll FINALLY be expelled!’”

“You’re wrong, Susie...” Shirou groaned, struggling against her powerful grip, “Just stealing chalk isn’t some grave offense!”

“Come on, Emiya, you know it’s true, stop bullshitting me. Everyone’s waiting for it, everyone wants it. And if there’s anyone who’ll take that step to boot me, it’ll be you. So congrats, you got me,” she replied, with an eerie grin. “But can I just say one thing? You’re right. Seems like a waste to get expelled for just that. So, if I know you’re gonna pull the trigger… Why don’t I get expelled for some REAL carnage?”

Shirou’s eyes widened as she bared alarmingly sharp teeth. “Hey, Emiya. How would you feel… About losing your _face?_ ”

As she started moving closer to him, mouth opening, Shirou glared back at her, “Susie, no, this isn’t worth it-”

“… You know what? You’re right.” She dropped him, stepping away. “Emiya. You’ve got good folks. It’d be a shame to make them have to bury you.” She turned away, “alright, let’s get this over with. We’ll get more chalk. Mosey back to class. And we’ll pretend this never happened, got it?”

“Susie-”

“Shut up. If you haven’t gotten it into your idiot head already… Your choices don’t matter. That goody-two-shoes thing of yours ain’t gonna do much good if you don’t have the strength to stand up for yourself,” Susie said, walking off.

Shirou sighed, following her. Susie was a real handful, for sure, but he got the feeling she wasn’t as much of a bully as she seemed. He had met real bullies before. But Susie’s act seemed almost… Half-hearted, in a way.

“Well, here’s the supply closet,” Susie said, arriving in front of a grey double-door, which she opened. However, as soon as she did, it seemed like the surrounding corridor got strangely dim, despite the light shining through the windows, and the inside of the closet was pitch black. Even that startled her. “Uh, Emiya… Is it me, or is it REALLY dark in there?”

Shirou looked inside, noticing that the only thing inside he could see were some papers on the floor. “This doesn’t make sense… The supply closet is never this dark.”

“I know, right?! You gonna go in, or what?” Susie asked, shoving him, though he didn’t move. “… Fine! If you’re gonna be a _wimp,_ then… I’ll… We’ll both go in at the same time!”

Before Shirou could object, she shoved him in, following along with him. She fumbled around in the darkness for a light switch, “hey, that’s weird… I can’t feel any walls. I think this closet’s broken.”

“That’s impossible, Susie,” Shirou said, as he also started searching where the walls should be. “I’ve been in here many times… I know where the light switch should be, but… I can’t find it!”

Suddenly, the door slammed shut, startling them both. Susie rushed for the door, but found that it wasn’t there anymore. “HEY! This isn’t funny! Let us out! Where the hell is the door?!”

Then the papers at their feet started rustling, and started to fall, as if the floor was giving way.

Susie and Shirou, in mere seconds, started tumbling into the abyss.

* * *

 

Shirou groaned. Sitting up, he felt a few things were odd – firstly, the ground was hard and rocky. Secondly, his clothes had changed, from his normal uniform to a set of silver armor, with a short, torn red cape around his right shoulder. A wooden sword was sheathed at his side.

Thirdly… The lighting in this place was wrong. As if there was none at all, but he could see anyway. There were shadows, but they were subtle at best. His skin was an almost corpse-like blue. And his hair was… White?

As he stood up, he took note of his surroundings, as he began to walk. A barren, nondescript platform with only one path forward, surrounded by dark as far as the eye could see. His very footsteps echoed through the dark. It was best assumed that below solid ground was not safe.

To his left, a small light hovering roughly a meter above the ground flickered, and by second nature, he touched it. He wasn’t sure why. But a small amount of energy flowed through his body, and he felt a strange sense of relief, like as if a strong, padded net was suddenly there to catch him if he were to fall… In both a literal and metaphorical sense. It was a sense of security that he couldn’t quite comprehend, but it helped him continue on.

As he pressed on, he saw walls of rock with holes spewing what he could only describe as ‘liquid dark’. It was oil-like, and yet ‘darker’. To say many aspects of this place were difficult to describe was an understatement, but grounded enough that he could at least some vague sense of this place. On the rock walls above, strange white stalks with orbs on the end started moving as he passed by, making a sound almost like a child’s laugh.

He came to a split path, and took the way forward. A dead-end, but he found a glowing crystal shard in one of the wall holes, which he stashed in his bag (another thing he didn’t remember having previously, but regardless, it was helpful). He went back the other way.

Another straight walkway. But across to his left, multiple platforms with more white stalks jutted out from the dark. The stalks themselves seemed to glow red with hostility, launching white magic projectiles at him, which he deftly evaded. His soul felt… Exposed, as he made his way through, as if that was the only thing that mattered when it came to evasion. His inexperience resulted in a couple of bullets hitting him, however, sending shocks of pain through his system.

Another spark of light greeted him on the other end of the walkway. With a touch, a power shone within him, washing away the pain.

A simple puzzle stood between him and progress, involving three eyes needing to be blacked out, and multiple switches that switched some ‘off’ and some ‘on’. Shirou figured it out swiftly, though he figured one would easily solve it even by brute-forcing the solution. As he stepped over the bridge, he swore he saw a figure on a ledge above, disappearing into the dark.

The only way forwards was an angled cliff with a small path he could safely slide down, to an area with puffy blob-like masses larger than himself, which were fragile and could be cleared away. As he walked, he noticed a figure was retreating away from him, and had dived into one of the nearby masses. He approached it. “Hello?”

“Nobody’s here! Go away! Get any closer, and I’ll-”

“Susie?”

After a brief pause, Susie popped her head out, to see Shirou. “Oh, it’s you. Don’t scare me like that, dumbass. Unless you wanna get clocked in the face, heh.”

“For someone who puts up such a tough front, I guess even you get scared. Got any idea where we are?”

“Nah, not really,” Susie said, ripping away the mass, to reveal that she had changed as well. Plum hair, pink scales, a black vest, a purple shirt, purple baggy pants, black boots with a golden trim, as well as studded arm bracelets and a heart belt buckle. “Don’t matter, though. We gotta find a way outta here. You got us into this mess, you get us out.”

Shirou didn’t want to annoy her by pointing out that she was actually the culprit, as she stole and ate the chalk, meaning they wouldn’t have gone to the supply closet otherwise. He shrugged, and took the lead, as he started walking at a pace Susie seemed comfortable with. “This place is dark, and yet…”

“Yeah, it’s kinda creepy,” Susie agreed, looking around. “How the hell could this possibly be in a supply closet?”

“I’m not sure this is even the supply closet anymore,” Shirou said, as they slid down another cliff slope. Then he noticed a figure on a cliff high above, and could barely see it in the darkness. “Uh, hello? What’re you doing up th-”

Susie barely shoved him out of the way of two magic ‘bullets’ shaped like the suit of spades as they flew past. “RUN!”

The pair bolted, rushing down the path as more bullets flew out from the darkness, fast but easy to see coming as Shirou dodged and weaved as he ran, batting projectiles out of the way with his new weapon. He glanced to his left, and saw Susie battling away projectiles with an axe she suddenly had in her possession.

They came to a cliff with another slide, this time a wide one, and Susie didn’t hesitate to drop down it. Shirou followed suit, sliding and adjusting his speed to evade more incoming projectiles. A few hit him, but he was starting to get the hang of this.

At the bottom, the projectiles seemed to cease. The pair took a moment to catch their breath. Shirou panted, “monster magic?”

“Yeah… Whoever was using it could chuck a lotta bullets at us,” Susie said. She was a bit scuffed up as well, though she seemed to take the pain in stride. “Well, let’s keep going. And watch your back. I ain’t dragging your corpse back if you die down here.”

Shirou frowned as he followed her through a doorway.

And they found themselves in a large town square, lit by eerie blue flames, though they seemed off, like the light wasn’t really light at all. The town was strangely empty, with not a soul in sight. “What the…?”

“Is this a town?! What’s a town doing in a supply closet?! Hell, what’s a CASTLE doing in a supply closet?!” Susie said, pointing out the large castle across the way. Shirou looked up, and saw a massive black geyser emerging from it, piercing endlessly into the sky.

As they headed for the castle, Shirou touched another spark that he noticed was in the middle of the square. Susie didn’t even seem to notice it. A great power in this place shone within him, and once again, he felt secure, and restored. He even noticed Susie was healed as well, though she didn’t seem to notice.

As they walked up the stairs towards the main courtyard of the castle, a voice echoed. “Welcome, heroes.”

“Who’s there?!” Susie exclaimed, startled.

“Do not be alarmed. I am not your enemy. Please come forward, both of you.”

Shirou reached the top of the stairs, and saw a cloaked figure standing in the center of the stone courtyard, standing before an emblem. Once that Shirou recognized immediately. It was the emblem of Toriel’s family… Or possibly Asgore’s. He wasn’t quite sure, but he knew it was the Dreemurr family emblem, and was proudly displayed in Asriel and Toriel’s rooms. “Heroes? I’m sorry, I think you’re mistaken, we’re just lost..”

“No, it’s no mistake, and I’ll explain why. Welcome,” the cloaked figure said with a young male voice, his speech sounding rehearsed. “I am the Prince of this kingdom – the Kingdom of Darkness. Shirou, Susie, there is a legend in this land. A legend-”

“Hold the phone, buster, how do you know our names?!” Susie pointed a finger at the Prince. “Have you been stalking us?!”

“Uh… It involves the Fountain of Darkness in this castle, and… Look, there’s a legend and a prophecy that I gotta explain… Please don’t pressure me,” The Prince seemed to wince under his cloak, intimidated as the conservation went off-script.

“Let him explain himself, Susie,” Shirou said. He didn’t see any harm in letting the Prince explain himself.

“Um… Thank you. As I was saying – there is a legend that one way, two heroes of light will arrive, and fulfil the ancient prophecy, foretold by time and space,” The Prince said, speaking dramatically like he had spent years practicing for this very moment. “Please, heroes, will you listen to my tale?”

“Nah,” Susie said.

“Susie, be nice,” Shirou said, noting the look of panic from the Prince, followed by relief from the human’s intervention. “Sure, we’ll listen.”

“Very well, then...”

_Once upon a time, a LEGEND was whispered among shadows._  
_It was a LEGEND of HOPE. It was a LEGEND of DREAMS._  
_It was a LEGEND of LIGHT. It was a LEGEND of DARK._  
_This is the legend of DELTA RUNE._  
_For millennia, LIGHT and DARK have lived in balance,_  
_Bringing peace to the WORLD._  
_But if this harmony were to shatter..._  
_a terrible calamity would occur._  
_The sky will run black with terror_  
_And the land will crack with fear._  
_Then, her heart pounding..._  
_The EARTH will draw her final breath._  
_Only then, shining with hope..._  
_Three HEROES appear at WORLDS' edge._  
_A HUMAN, A MONSTER, And a PRINCE FROM THE DARK._  
_Only they can seal the fountains_  
_And banish the ANGEL'S HEAVEN._  
_Only then will balance be restored,_  
_And the WORLD saved from destruction._  
_Today, the FOUNTAIN OF DARKNESS-_  
_The geyser that gives this land form-_  
_Stands tall at the center of the kingdom._  
_But recently, another fountain has appeared on the horizon...  
_ _And with it, the balance of LIGHT and DARK begins to shift._

“Shirou, Susie… Thank you for listening to my long tale. I deeply believe you two are the heroes of the legend. That despite what enemies you may face… You two have the courage to save the world.” The Prince continued speaking dramatically, “Delta Warriors! Please, won’t you accept your destiny?”

Susie looked away, disinterested. “Eh… Nah.”

“Susie, can you not be a jerk right now?” Shirou said. “Considering what I’ve experienced, I honestly don’t find his stor-”

“Oh, I don’t care if his ‘story’ is true or not, if he thinks I’m some kind of hero, well, he’s got the wrong person,” Susie grinned mischievously.

The Prince was starting to panic. “But Susie… Without you, the world will-”

“So what if the world gets destroyed? None of my damn business. Besides, it might be kinda fu-”

Susie was startled when Shirou punched her in the face, stumbling back. Shirou glared at her. “Susie, don’t you DARE say things like that! You think I’m gonna risk my friends and family and everyone else on your whims?!”

Shirou could briefly see a yellow eye through her hair, as she stared at him in shock. Then, she grinned widely. “Well, screw me sideways-”

“Language, Susie!” The Prince said.

“-oh, shut up, I could’ve used a way worse word – anyway, Emiya, you actually have some balls after all!” She pulled out her newfound axe, “if you wanna have a go, well, let’s fight, right now!”

“SUSIE! SHIROU! This is no time for figh-”

Suddenly, a childlike laugh pierced through the tension, and a bike crashed into the Prince, causing an explosion and sending him flying. On the bike, was a monster kid who was short, rotund, and had a teardrop-shaped head. The clubs motif with his body and clothes, which Shirou couldn’t tell apart, was unmistakable. His bike on first glance seemed like a motorcycle, but was actually a regular bicycle that had an ‘exhaust’ attached to it that was literally on fire. “Ho ho ho… The heroes are already fighting among themselves… And I didn’t even need to lift a finger! My dad’s gonna make me son of the month!”

“Who the hell are you?!” Susie asked in both surprise and annoyance that her ‘fight’ was interrupted before it even begun.

“I’m… The bad guy!” The monster on the bike did a wheelie spin. “You clowns want to seal our Dark Fountain, huh?! And – still picturing you guys as clowns, by the way – save the world from eternal darkness, huh?!”

“Eh,” Susie shrugged.

“Don’t try to deny it! We both know you’ll go east! It’s your only way home!” Shirou wondered if this kid was overconfident or not thinking this through nearly enough. “But I, Lancer, won’t let you go there! And I’ve got a flawless two-step plan to ensure it. Step one. I thrash you. Step two. You lose!”

“Well… Nice plan, kid,” Susie grinned.

“R-Really…?” That actually seemed to surprise Lancer.

“Yeah, actually… Mind if we use it on you instead?” Susie grinned, baring her teeth, getting her axe ready.

Shirou readied his sword, but he was more inclined to subdue the kid nonlethally. He was genuinely worried that Susie might actually kill him. He took off running, dodging the incoming bike as it shot past him, as Lancer did a wheelie.

Susie, on the other hand, stood her ground, launching axe projectiles as she grinned, “dunno how I got an axe, but, like, that’s cool.”

While Lancer took a couple of hits, he was still going, suddenly riding along a wall as he launched spade bullets at them. “Halt, clowns! This bike is fueled by VICTORY!”

 _I think it’s just the fire that’s fueled by… Something,_ Shirou thought as he ducked and weaved, waiting for Lancer to come towards him again, and swung the flat side of the sword at him, smacking Lancer in the face. The kid nearly spun out, but he recovered, doing another wheelie, as he launched more bullets, “I love to get thrashed! No, wait, that’s YOU!”

Shirou deftly dodged the bullets, starting to get used to this. _Should I tell him he’s taken more damage than we have…?_

“Oh, that’s cute, are you trying to impersonate us?” Susie grinned, countering with her own projectiles, as she started to approach to deliver a blow more personally.

“I… Huh? Now I’m confused,” Lancer said, until he stopped in his tracks, noticing the flame on his bike was starting to go out. “Wait, wait, time out! My bike’s running out of fuel!”

“It’s just a bike that’s on fire, nobody’s falling for it, kid!” Susie said. Shirou noted she had no tact whatsoever.

Lancer seemed to ignore her outburst. “Alright, you punk-a-roos! You had the luck of the draw this time, but next time the losers will be YOU! Hahaha!” He did another spinning wheelie, “Seeya, losers! I gotta get home before dinner!” Then he raced off, leaping over a nearby wall.

“Well, that was a thing,” Susie said, as the pair put away their weapons.

“Uh… Are you two okay…?” The Prince approached, still reeling from getting rammed. “Allow me to introduce myself more properly, I am-”

“Jeez, can you take off the hood? I can barely hear you under there,” Susie said.

“Um… Alright...” The cloak came off, revealing a young monster boy around their age, wearing a large green hat that shadowed his face, glasses, a magenta scarf wrapped around his neck, and a green wizard’s outfit with a heard shape on the front. It was hard to tell his species, but Shirou noted he was quite fluffy. “Hello, everyone. I’m Ralsei. Shirou, Susie… It’s ever so wonderful to meet you!” He smiled happily, “I’m certain we’re going to be great friends, and-”

“Best way to leave is east, right?” Susie interrupted.

“Yes! That’s where we’ll-”

“Got it. Seeya at school, Emiya,” Susie chuckled, walking off.

“Susie, come on, don’t be a…” Shirou tried to stop her, but she ignored him and walked off. “Damn. She’s too stubborn.”

“Oh… I guess it’s just the two of us, then,” Ralsei said with a sigh, coming over. “Shirou, I’m a prince, but… I, um, currently don’t have any subjects. I’ve been waiting my whole life for you two to arrive. So, um, I’m really happy to finally meet you-”

Shirou hugged him. After hearing that, how could he not? “I want to make that wait worth it, Ralsei. It’s nice to meet you, too.”

Ralsei couldn’t help but blush, but he hugged back. “Thank you, Shirou. I really hope we can be good friends!”

* * *

 

Having decided that catching up with Susie was the best course of action, they headed back out into town. The fact that Ralsei’s kingdom lacked subjects came into stark relief, with strange-looking buildings and streets that were completely devoid of life.

“I didn’t know a place like this existed under the school,” Shirou said, as they walked. “I’m surprised I didn’t die from that really long fall.”

“Um, I don’t know what ‘school’ you’re talking about, but… What you perceived as ‘falling’ down here isn’t exactly what happened. The Fountain brought you here. I think it opens a tunnel in space-time and such,” Ralsei said. “I’m not exactly sure if it has a mind of its own. It just shows me visions, it never speaks to me directly. It’s why I knew who you two were and that you were finally coming.”

“Ah, I guess that makes sense… What’s with the torches? Isn’t this place the ‘Kingdom of Darkness’?” Shirou wondered out loud, glancing at the lit torches nearby.

“Those don’t produce actual light. The light and shadows here are well, basically fake… Mostly. The only lights around come from you and Susie. You two are Lightners. Just by being here, you provide even a little bit of light to this world, and the clarity that comes with it,” Ralsei said. “That’s partly why the balance is so important. Light and dark define each other.” He blushed, “oh, sorry, I’m ranting a little…”

“No, no, it’s fine. I don’t know anything about this place, and it’s pretty interesting,” Shirou said, “so that fountain is what formed this place?”

“The fountain is what gives this world and Darkners form at all. It’s amazing,” Ralsei smiled. “Without it, the dark would be a formless mass without meaning or purpose, and keeps us solid even if the sun’s light were to leak in somehow. If we go beyond its reach without protection… We would disappear in the light.”

“You’ve never been to the surface?”

Ralsei shook his head. “I wouldn’t survive where you live. I wish I could go someday, though!”

“Well, if you could, you’d enjoy meeting my family. My parents are away, but my caretaker, Toriel, would love to have you around, as would the maids,” Shirou smiled. “And my little sister, Illyasviel. We call her Illya for short. She’d just adore you.”

“That sounds nice,” Ralsei smiled, though he stopped, much to Shirou’s surprise. “I thought it’d be the three of us, not just you and me. The three Delta Warriors, journeying to save the world. But Susie… I can’t believe she’d even say stuff like that. I’m wondering if something has gone wrong…”

“Susie has… Rough edges,” Shirou said. “It’s not like we talked much before this. I’m not quite sure what her deal is. But I’ve talked with a friend of mine about her, and, well, she’s not as much of a troublemaker as her reputation suggests. She just keeps to herself, mostly.”

“Does she not like anyone?” Ralsei frowned.

“Actually… I think she might be convinced that nobody likes _her._ But I don’t have enough pieces in the puzzle to properly understand yet.”

Shirou noticed the spark from before, and touched it once more. However, this time, time suddenly stopped.

“ _Apologies for this sudden interruption, child. But I believe this is the best time for you to be informed of the true purpose of these sparks of light.”_ It was a voice Shirou had never heard before, and it was like he heard it with his mind, not his ears.

“ _Who are you?”_ Shirou asked in his mind. _“What do you mean by that?”_

“ _I’m afraid I can’t tell you yet. But I can assure you that I am no adversary of yours. These sparks allow you to channel a power only available to humans in very specific circumstances – to SAVE a point in time, and return to it at will, even if they die. Should you find yourself in an impossible situation, wish to seek a better outcome to something you experience, or perish during your journey, you will return to the last spark you SAVED from.”_

“ _That explains the feeling of security when I touch them...”_

“ _Indeed. But without that proper understanding, you simply set up temporary ‘checkpoints’, if you will. It is time to create something more permanent. But it seems you already created a SAVE, hmm?”_

Shirou wondered what he meant by that, but then a simple-looking screen appeared in front of him, like something out of a video game.

**Kris – LV 1 0:00**

**\---**

“ _What the… Who is Kris? That’s not my name.”_

“ _That is a question I cannot answer. But I shall give you a hint, child – no one can choose who they are in this world. Even if you remake yourself, you cannot completely escape from that starting point.”_

“ _Sure, whatever,”_ Shirou said, not convinced by that unexpected statement. He touched the text that said SAVE, and the screen changed – showing his name, his ‘level’ (which was still 1), and what seemed to be a time of how much time had elapsed since his birth, with the second line saying ‘Castle Town’. Once again, he felt a proper sense of security, but this time much stronger. _“Okay, that works. Thank you.”_

“ _You are quite welcome, child. But be warned, do not take this gift for granted. There will be times where you will not have the luxury of being able to rely on it. When you feel that security slip away, be prepared, for there will be no backtracking from what may come next.”_

Time resumed, and the voice went silent.

“Shirou? Are you okay?” Ralsei asked, concerned.

“Oh, sorry, I was… Lost in thought,” Shirou replied, shaking his head as he kept walking. They turned a corner to their left, heading east.

In the large room ahead of them, was a wooden dummy dressed like Ralsei. The prince smiled when he saw it. “Oh! It’s the dummy I set up! This is a good chance for me to teach you how to deal with confrontations here!”

“What do you mean?” Shirou asked, blinking.

“In this world, Shirou, you don’t have to kill anyone,” Ralsei said. “There’s multiple ways we can end a fight non-lethally. You can do stuff like simply talk to people, or tire them out and let me cast my ‘pacify’ spell on them to put them to sleep.”

“Ah, I see. Truth be told, I don’t think I’m comfortable with hurting people more than I need to, nevermind killing them,” Shirou nodded. “I don’t think we’ll be able to just talk down our enemies, so being able to put them to sleep is a handy method to have.”

“Right, it’s never a bad idea to have a backup plan,” Ralsei smiled.

“I feel bad about hitting something that looks like you, but I think I need practice with this thing,” Shirou said, drawing his sword. He realized he had been a bit too cautious before, as it was a wooden practice sword, the edges were too dull to be any good for anything more than a bludgeoning weapon at best. He gripped the handle, approached the dummy, and practiced his swings, recalling his time practicing kendo with his father when he was, well, home.

He really wished he had Kiritsugu’s advice right now.

After several minutes of practice, he stepped back, satisfied. “Right, I think I have a handle on it.”

“Great! Now, if this were a real battle, and you hadn’t beaten your enemy too badly, I would use my pacify spell, like so,” Ralsei said, casting the spell on the dummy. Of course, it did nothing. “Before we move on, let’s practice dodging!”

“What is there to practice, though? Dodging is kinda simple,” Shirou blinked.

“Not quite. That dummy has an enchantment that allows me to trigger a series of bullets. Pretty simple. But you know about your SOUL, right?”

Shirou looked down, seeing the red heart visible through his body. “Yeah. The culmination of my very being...”

“And within it, your will, your compassion, and the fate of the world,” Ralsei said. “As the leader of the Delta Warriors, and the one with a human SOUL, you have the power to link up with two other people at once, and share your power with them. Your SOUL will be their common lifeline – as long as as one of us is still standing, we won’t die.”

“But it’s also a single point of failure. If my soul goes down, all of us do,” Shirou said.

“That’s not quite true. When your SOUL gets hit, the damage is directed towards who the attacker wants to harm. Even if you’re knocked out, your SOUL can still move. As long as there’s someone in the party able to move, we’ll be okay,” Ralsei said. “Over time, we will recover health when downed until we can get back up.”

“I see. By the way… Me, the leader? Just like that?” Shirou blinked.

Ralsei blinked, and then blushed, “oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to presume-”

“No, it’s fine, if you insist. But you could’ve simply asked,” Shirou chuckled.

“Again, moving on,” Ralsei coughed, “let’s do some practice with evasion. These bullets will only do a small amount of damage, but try to avoid them. If your SOUL gets close to them while dodging, you’ll skim off some energy that we can use in spells and such. Ready? Go!”

Shirou looked on intently as a hail of magic bullets launched across the room. They were fast, but with a simple random pattern and easily predicted trajectory, giving him a chance to get used to evading with his SOUL, now he knew to focus on it. It was like he could also visualize the surroundings around it, allowing him better awareness of where to move.

When the bullets were done, Ralsei clapped happily. “Well done! You’re really getting the hang of this. We also have the ability to focus on defense, gathering energy in the process.”

“But I don’t have anything to block… With...” Shirou said, only to realize that when he thought about defending, he seemed to pull a shield almost as big as his body out of thin air. It was a bronze shield that resembled a flower, and it looked like it had a few layers. “Whoa.”

Ralsei nodded approvingly. “There you go! Now, we can also convince people to stand down. It might take some doing, but there are many people in this world. Some may have to be subdued, but again, I can pacify them.”

“Right, we have multiple options for peacefully dealing with enemies we encounter,” Shirou nodded. “I’ll do my best to avoid killing. We’re heroes, after all. We should act like it. And having multiple ways to handle battles without killing will be very helpful.”

“I knew you’d understand! I’m so happy to have a great student like you, Shirou!” Ralsei clapped happily.

“I’m glad I have a good teacher,” Shirou smiled, hugging Ralsei. Again.

“Erm… Thank you!” Ralsei was once again reduced to a blushing wreck. “Let’s… Uh… Go find Susie.”

Another brief walk lead to a huge, golden, ornate door with the Delta Rune on it that was already open. Ralsei gasped. “The Great Door! It’s open! No wonder Lancer was able to get through.”

“So where will this door take us?” Shirou asked, mentally noting he could see nothing but darkness past it.

“To where we need to go,” Ralsei said. “Shirou, when we go through, our journey will really begin. I need to close the door behind us. It’ll be no turning back until we, well...”

“I understand,” Shirou said with a nod, “as you said, there’s nothing here for us right now anyway.”

“One last thing. As the leader of the Delta Warriors, your choices will be important. Our journey is foretold by the prophecy, but how it ends will depends on, well, how you handle the obstacles we face,” Ralsei said. “I believe, if we try our best to get by without fighting, this tale may have a happy ending. Otherwise-”

“Ralsei, stop. I understand,” Shirou said, turning to him. “I’ll do as best if you will. But I want you to promise me one thing. If the fate of the world really is at stake, and if it comes down to the wire in order to protect the three of us, then you have to be willing to hurt or even kill.”

Ralsei’s eyes widened. “Shirou, are you su-”

“Ralsei. It’s not pleasant, but you have to understand,” Shirou put his hands on Ralsei’s shoulders. “As your leader, I have to look out for both you and Susie. If our party falls, our quest is doomed to failure, and the world itself will die. We’ll do our best to resolve battles peacefully. But my number one priority is keeping us alive and able to save the world.”

“I… I...” Shirou could tell Ralsei seemed conflicted at first, but soon his expression became resolute. “I understand. If it’s to protect the three of us, I won’t hesitate. That’s a promise.”

“Right. Thank you, Ralsei,” Shirou smiled, and headed through the door. “Let’s go save the world.”

Ralsei nodded, and closed the enormous door behind him with a simple spell.

* * *

 

With the door closed behind them and the red, geometric trees lining the path, Shirou touched the spark in front of him. The power of adventure shone through him.

A short walk lead to a small clearing with a single patrolling enemy – a diamond-like monster with a short sword. The Rudinn (how Shirou knew what he was called, he wasn’t sure) saw the duo, and briefly panicked, not prepared for someone to come along. “Ah… Turn around, and go away! I won’t let you get any closer! Uh... Long live the guys who pay us!”

“You could just pretend we sneaked past you and say you didn’t see a thing,” Shirou said, drawing his sword.

“Oh. That does make sense. Yeah, not worth scrapping with you two,” the guard said, sliding to the side. “Seeya, then!”

“That was pretty easy. You’re a natural at this, Shirou!” Ralsei clapped happily.

“Actually, before we go on, I’d like to ask a few questions, if that’s okay,” Shirou said, sheathing his blade. “You don’t seem particularly loyal to whoever you’re working for.”

“Hey, I’m just a normal person roped into guard duty. Tell me what you wanna know,” the Rudinn said. “That being said, I probably don’t know much.”

“Who is your boss, and why does he want us dead?”

“The King of Spades, my dude. He’s the sole ruler of the card kingdom after, you know, the other kings got locked up by the Knight. That’s just what I’ve heard, though. I basically work for his son, Lancer, now, I have no idea why the King is putting his own prepubescent son to work trying to kill a couple of Lightner-sympathizers, but working for the kid sucks. Don’t ask me why he wants you out of the way, I have no clue.”

Shirou blinked. “He doesn’t sound like a nice person.”

“Tyrant is a better word for it,” Rudinn grumbled. “Put a lot of good people out of work, you know? Especially the puzzle-smiths.”

“Oh, no, that’s terrible!” Ralsei frowned.

“Yeah. I don’t get why he’s out to kill a bunch of kids. Though maybe the purple dinosaur girl is more understandable – she’s scary. Gave me a look, and I knew I had to scram. Lancer’s just a dumb kid who wants his dad’s approval though, from what I can tell. I don’t think he really understands what he’s trying to do.”

Shirou and Ralsei looked at each other, and then Shirou looked back at the Rudinn. “Huh. Speaking of whom, which way did the purple girl go?”

“Well, if you wanna get killed that badly… Straight down that way, you won’t miss her,” Rudinn said, “now, if you excuse me, I gotta get back to pretending to be working.”

“Thank you for your time,” Shirou said sincerely, as he and Ralsei continued on.

And ran into Lancer, who was standing around painting a sign. Shirou did a double-take. “Lancer?!”

“Oh! Hohoho! If it isn’t my two favorite people. PSYCHE! You guys aren’t even in my top five!” Lancer dropped what he was doing to gloat, posing as he did so.

“Lancer! Where’s Susie?!” Ralsei asked. Shirou swore his eyebrows were a lot more visible when he was tense or angry.

“You mean the purple girl? Ho ho ho… You fools! You’re too late to stop me!” Lancer grinned.

“What did you do?!”

“Hahaha… It was so simple! She beat me up, so I ran away!” Lancer said, as if that was some proud accomplishment.

Shirou almost face-faulted in surprise. “That’s it?!”

“That was anti-climatic,” Ralsei blinked. “So… What’re you doing around here, then?”

“Painting signs. Also, staying away from the purple girl. Ow,” Lancer winced. “By the way, if you keep going ahead, my troops will trash you.”

“If they’re anything like the last guard, I doubt it,” Shirou said dryly. “We’ll try and take another way around.”

“Good luck with that! You’ll end up back here, and thrashing will ensue!” Lancer grinned.

“Is that a threat?” Ralsei raised an eyebrow.

“I prefer to think of it as an invitation.”

“Maybe you could, well, not try to kill us?” Shirou suggested.

“Well, my dad says you guys gotta die, so, sorry!” Lancer said.

There was a brief pause.

“You’re not going to do it yourself?” Ralsei asked.

“Nope, that’s what the minions are for!” Lancer grinned.

Shirou decided to just leave it at that and keep going.

As it turned out, the other path just lead to a dead end and a tree with a couple of marshmallow-like star-shaped candies hanging from it. Shirou decided to save them for later, and returned to the main path, running into a necklace of two Rudinns (he was still confused by how he knew about how ‘necklace’ was the right word for a group of them). It was simple enough to convince the pair to leave the heroes alone.

They also ran into a monster named Top Chef, who was, well, a chef who spun like a top. He had baked a cake (which Shirou observed was partially eaten and somehow smoldering), but Susie had partially eaten. Shirou decided not to make the poor fellow’s life more miserable, and skipped the cake, even if it still looked delicious.

They ran into another patrol, this time with a Rudinn and a Hathy, a heart-shaped monster with tendril arms and a staff. Shirou blinked. “Wow, that’s new. Your tendrils look pretty cool.”

Hathy suddenly started blushing, and slipped away, blatantly flustered. Shirou cocked his head to the side. “Was it something I said?” Ralsei simply giggled.

“Well, there goes my support. I’m out,” the Rudinn said, also slipping away.

“… That was easy,” Ralsei said. “We’re really good at ending these fights quickly, huh?”

“Those are small fry enemies I think the Spades King are assigning to his son,” Shirou said, as they moved on. “I expect more loyal troops as we get closer to the second fountain.”

After a simple timed puzzle involving Shirou and Ralsei simultaneously standing on specific tiles (which retracted a rather nasty bed of spikes), the next area was a simple ‘maze’ with signs that Lancer had planted implying that he had a poor sense of direction, and indications that Susie had been here, due to several puzzle-piece-shaped enemies having been walloped (Shirou took note of the fact that they had merely been beaten up). One of the ‘survivors’ even warned them about Susie.

They soon stumbled upon a chest that had a white ribbon in it. Ralsei seemed delighted. “Oh, that is a form of armor that’s good against magic attacks! If you equip it-”

“I think you need it more than I do,” Shirou said honestly, surprising Ralsei by tying it to him.

Ralsei blushed, looking down at it, before he was able to speak again. “Oh, thank you, uh… Do I look cute…?”

“It looks great on you. Honestly, if I didn’t know you were a prince, I’d have a hard time telling if you were a boy or girl, you’re that cute,” Shirou smiled softly. He blinked. “Ralsei?”

Ralsei was red as a tomato, to the point where Shirou was wondering if the fur wasn’t actually fur. “Um… Let’s keep moving on!”

Lancer soon had another trick up his sleeve – a party of Hathy enemies. However, Shirou realized that it was a poor formation, as they used attacks better suited to supporting a more offensive enemy by limiting where he and Ralsei could move, but not really very good at direct damage. Ralsei turned to Shirou, “can I try flattering the enemy this time?”

“Well, go for it,” Shirou said.

Ralsei smiled, and bowed, “we don’t need EXP. Just encountering your smile is reward enough!” The enemy trio were instantly flattered, slinking off in gratitude. He clapped happily, “we didn’t get any EXP, but we got some dark dollars!”

“Oh, what do I get?” Lancer… Slid over?

“Lancer, you lost, you don’t get anything,” Ralsei replied.

“But how are you not thrashed?!”

“Lancer, you set up a party of support enemies who don’t use offensive bullet patterns,” Shirou pointed out. “They’re too simple to avoid.”

“It’s like a dinner made out of three glasses of milk,” Ralsei said. “It’s not balanced at all.”

“… And that’s unusual, somehow?” Lancer asked, genuinely confused.

“What do your parents feed you?!” Shirou asked in exasperation.

“Ho ho ho! That would be telling! I eat like a prince! Because I am one!” Lancer grinned, running off, “later, losers!”

“That kid is either spoiled rotten or not being fed properly. Though considering his belly, I think he’s just spoiled,” Shirou sighed, arms crossed. Then he looked ahead… And nearly tripped in surprise when he saw Lancer just standing off the path, some distance away. As the pair approached, he asked, “weren’t you supposed to be running away?!”

“Yeah. I finished,” Lancer grinned.

“If we weren’t such nice people, you would regret not running away further,” Shirou said. “Why are you trying to thrash us, anyway?”

“Because if you seal the fountain, you’ll stop us from covering the world in darkness,” Lancer said simply.

“You do know that will destroy the world, right?” Ralsei asked.

“No? Dad didn’t mention that,” Lancer said, his confidence briefly shaken. “He said he wants to take revenge on the Lightners for something, but...”

“I think that’s all I need to hear,” Shirou said, as he continued on. “We’ll have to ask your father in person.”

“Well, if you get past me and all the way to the castle, you’ll get your chance! If he doesn’t kill you first!” Lancer grinned.

Shirou ignored the threat, as he and Ralsei found another timed tile puzzle. However, it needed three people to solve.

That’s when he saw a door ahead. And Susie, trying to break it down, to no avail. “Ugh, open up, you stupid door!” Then she noticed the pair approach, and frowned. “Oh, great. It’s YOU GUYS.”

“Susie! We were ever so worried about you! Uh… How did you get past the spikes earlier?” Ralsei asked.

“Waked over ‘em,” Susie grinned. “But this stupid door’s in my way.”

“Well, I think it’ll only open when we solve the puzzle back there,” Ralsei said.

“Cool. Lemme know when you do that.”

“Susie, it needs three people to solve,” Shirou pointed out. “You’re going to have to help us.”

“What?! No way!” Susie crossed her arms. “I’m not joining up with you nerds.”

Ralsei frowned, turning to Shirou, “as the leader, you’re going to have to convince her somehow...”

“Wait, he’s the leader? Geez, talk about low standards,” Susie scoffed.

“As leader of the Delta Warriors, if you join our party and follow my orders...” Shirou pondered for a moment, and hit on an idea. “I’ll make you lunch tomorrow.”

Susie froze. She briefly glanced to the side. “Y-You can’t just bribe me with food. I’ll never be… Your...” She paused to think, turning her head to the side, looking away. Shirou noted she was starting to sweat. She gulped. “What kind of lunch?”

“Anything you like,” Shirou offered. “If you can’t decide, I could just make a variety bento box...”

Susie was starting to drool. Shirou was well aware of his own reputation around the school about his cooking skills. And if he had noticed anything about Susie recently, it was that she liked to eat. She realized she was drooling, and wiped her mouth. “Erm. In that case… Fine. I accept. But you better keep your word!”

“You know I’m good for it, it’s just a matter of whether _you’re_ good for your word,” Shirou replied.

Susie grit her teeth, “f-fine. I’ll follow your orders, alright? As long as they’re not too stupid.”

“Hurrah! Susie finally joined the party!” Ralsei clapped. “Let’s go solve the puzzle!”

The trio managed to solve the puzzle quickly (even if Susie took a bit of time to properly get what she was supposed to do), and as they came back towards the doorway, a large checkers piece with legs and a smiling face seemed to stand in their way. Ralsei smiled, “ooh! This is a good chance to teach you how to act, Susie! Go on, compliment him!”

“What? No,” Susie shook her head. “They’re trying to kill us. Why would I be all friendly with them?”

“I dunno, he doesn’t seem like he’s at all hostile,” Shirou noted. “But it is good practice. It’s worked for us so far. Why not give it a try?”

Susie paused to think, and grinned. “Okay. Hey, you. I like… That axe in your face!” She then sent the checkers piece flying with a single attack.

Shirou watched the enemy go flying into the distance, and his eye twitched. “Susie. Really?”

“Hey, at least I didn’t kill him. I’m a nice girl,” Susie smirked.

 _More like mean girl,_ Shirou thought, as they continued walking. “Okay, as your leader, since you’ve agreed to follow my orders… No more of that. You’re not going to be walloping anyone on sight. I’d prefer that you make an earnest effort to handle things peacefully, but if you can’t do that, then you’ll be focusing on weakening enemies for Ralsei to use his Pacify spell, and defending us against incoming attacks. But no more beating people to a pulp.”

Susie’s eye twitched, but since she was already bound to an agreement with Shirou, she shrugged.“Ugh… Fine. But only if I get to beat people up at least a little.”

“A reasonable compromise! You really are a natural leader, Shirou!” Ralsei smiled.

“I’m… I’m just thinking about what Dad would do in this situation,” Shirou said honestly. “He’s taught me a lot about self-reliance, but… All of this is new to me.”

“You dad? What, the same dad who is _never home?_ I heard your parents are always out of the country doing _something,_ ” Susie said dryly.

“Mom visits regularly. Dad’s a lot busier,” Shirou sighed. “Mom is always evasive about their work, and Toriel tells me it’s best I don’t know till I graduate, at least.”

“Whatever,” Susie shrugged. “Don’t sound like the best parents if you ask me.” For once, Shirou conceded that, despite having Toriel and the maids around to look after him and Illya, Susie kinda had a point.

But regardless, they came up to ‘building’ that looked more like a large tent made from old fabric, leather and buttons, being rather patchwork in construction. On the front was a sign that said “SHOP”. To the right, Shirou took note of the SAVE point, touching it and overwriting his previous SAVE.

_Another thing I should mention, child. You likely must have noticed you can identify types of enemies with a mere glance. You can properly look at enemy info with the CHECK ability, though it would take time that might sometimes be better spent using on another action. Keep this in mind._

Shirou blinked, but he decided he had no reason to doubt his apparent ‘benefactor’ now.

At Ralsei’s insistence, they went inside the shop. A few encounters had given them enough “Dark Dollars” to seemingly spend on something. It was a shop, lit only by a single lantern, filled with random odds and ends, and the shopkeep was an old cat with a button for an eye and stitches in places that would be disturbing were it not for the fact that he kind of resembled a neglected plush toy. The shopkeep perked up a bit when they entered, and smiled. “Ah, welcome, travellers, to my little Seap. The name’s Seam – pronounced ‘Shawm’.”

“Interesting place you’ve got here, Seam,” Shirou said, looking around. “I guess we’re mainly interested in stuff like weapons and armor.”

“Ah, yes, I’ve collected plenty of odds and ends over the years. You’ve come to the right place, boy,” the cat chuckled, “if you want stuff that’ll keep ye alive, I’ve got Dark Candy and Darkburgers. As for weapons… I do have some of these, 200 dark-dollars each,” Seam pointed to the sword displayed on the wall behind him. It was a proper single-edged sword, black and orange with a bat-shaped guard. He also put a few thin, square amber charms on the table. “These are simple defensive charms. Not great, but better than nothin’. 100 dark-dollars a piece.”

Ralsei looked them over, “yeah, they’ll work, at least. Not amazingly, but...”

“I’ll take a sword and a couple of the cards,” Shirou said, counting his currency, noting he had just enough. He paid up, and took the sword, examining it, and sheathing it. He had some Dark Candy already from getting them out of trees, so they were good on healing items. “I don’t think Susie here would like a sword.”

“Pfft, too small,” Susie scoffed. “I want somethin’ that’ll do some REAL damage.”

“If you want an axe, kid, you’ll have to go to Card Castle for that. King’s troops got all the fancy weapons,” Seam chuckled.

“We’re already headed there to seal the fountain,” Shirou noted, handing one of the amber cards to Susie, and then sticking the other on himself.

Seam seemed to stare at him… And then laughed. “Hahaha! Well, then! So you’re the ‘heroes’ who are going to seal our Fountain? Good luck with that. Makes no difference to me. Neither Light nor Dark hold a future for a Darkner in my condition.”

“That’s not true! There’s a positive future for everyone!” Ralsei said cheerfully. “We’re going to save the world!”

“Heh. Keep dreaming, kid. Eventually, you’ll realize that your quest is futile,” Seam chuckled. “But once you do, I’ll have a set of tea waiting for ya. We can drink to the end of the world, for Lightners and Darkners alike.”

“How long as it been since Lighters came down to this place?” Shirou asked.

“Hmm? Oh, long ago. We Darkners lived in harmony with the Lightners. They were like gods to us – our protectors, our creators. Those who gave us purpose. Then, one day, we were locked away in this prison, and the Lightners never returned… Until now,” Seam remarked, looking at Shirou and Susie. “The Spades King always considered it something of a betrayal. But now, ever since the Knight came along, he’s taken up arms and aims to take revenge on the Lightners that left us behind. ‘Course, even among his troops, some still distantly hope the Lightners will return.”

“I’ve heard that name a couple of times now. ‘The Knight’. Who is he?” Shirou raised an eyebrow.

“I believe he’s your ultimate enemy. The one who created the Fountain in the first place,” Seam grinned. “Defeated the King in his very throne room, and made him submit to his will. The King is fanatically loyal to him, now. Not much else to say about the fellow, however. He’s rather enigmatic.”

 _So now I have a name_ _for_ _the person responsible for this,_ Shirou thought to himself. “I see. Thank you.”

“Don’t have anything better to do, kid. Least I can do,” Seam said. “Say. You seem like an interesting bunch, heroes or otherwise. Mind giving me some names to go with your faces?”

“I’m Shirou Emiya.” “Ralsei, Prince of the Kingdom of Darkness, it’s nice to meet you, Mr. Seam!” “… Susie.”

“Nice to meet you kids. Heh… Interesting. You’re the leader, right, young Emiya? Give me your hand.”

Shirou blinked, and extended his hand onto the counter. Seam turned it over, and began looking at his palm, magical energy flowing through. A nearly crystal ball on a shelf and its pedestal floated over to the counter, as it glowed. “Used to be the court magician, you see, but that was a long, long time ago. Amongst my many duties, was divination for those who sought it. And I think I’m in the mood for doing it one more time, if only for curiosity’s sake. Heheh… Let’s see what the future might hold for you, young Emiya.”

Susie snorted. “’Divination’, what is this hocus-pocus crap? Monster magic is one thing, but telling the _future_?”

“The Fountain provides clairvoyance to a degree, Susie. Any skilled enough magician can see the future, and some have it as an innate skill,” Ralsei said.

“Not just the future, young one. Yes, I see now… Firstly, the deeds of those like yourself who carried the name ‘Emiya’… And all that it entails.”

Shirou’s vision flashed.

_His father, standing over the riddled and mortally-wounded body of a decrepit old man, about to put a bullet between the man’s eyes, as Irisviel stood by, carrying a baby Illyasviel in her arms… **“The Einzbern dream ends here, old man Acht. Between my wish and my daughter… I choose my daughter.”**_

_A man with while hair and a brown cloak standing over the bodies of men and women… And children. **“I was betrayed by my ideals, again, and again. We guardians are not saviors. We’re just the containment and cleaning crew. All to protect humankind as a whole.”**_

_Another version of himself, standing in a field of snow and blades, facing down an armored opponent Shirou found difficult to make out. **“If you're willing to kill one person for the sake of the greater good, then I'm willing to accept all the evil that comes with stopping you. Do you have enough resolve, champion of justice?”**_

_And an older version of himself, walking in a standstorm, covered clothing to protect against the storm. **"Even if the best possible outcome has someone get hurt to save many others, I still want to pursue a resolution where nobody is hurt. ‘That there is no justice in this world, people die meaninglessly in reality’... I don't think such words are right."**_

_He turned to Shirou, smiling, **“I’m sure your friend would agree. How about you?”**_

Shirou came back to his senses, going white. Did… Did that vision just talk to him?

“Hehehe. Now that’s a priceless expression if I ever saw one,” Seam remarked. “The path of a hero is a difficult road. If you merely seek glory, perhaps that is easiest. But to really do the right thing… Heh. That’s a lot harder.”

“Shirou, are you okay?!” Ralsei asked, concerned.

“I’m fine. I was just surprised that it worked,” Shirou said, taking a deep breath.

“Seeing you freak out like that was entertaining, though,” Susie grinned. “I’m starting to warm up to this.”

Seam chuckled, as he read Shirou’s hand. “But that was simply the past we saw. Let us see the future, or at least what might come of it.”

Another flash.

But the future was… Hazier.

“ _ **Hey, Emiya… We’re not going crazy, right? There’s no way it was all in our heads!”**_

“ _ **It does not matter if dark consumes the world now or not at all. Eventually, Gaia will perish, and in her death throes, she will call for the death of her children for the crime of outliving her. You ‘heroes’ are merely delaying the inevitable!”**_

“ _ **Your quest is futile and blasphemous, Shirou Emiya.”**_

_Shirou realized he was standing in a field of flowers, underneath a tree that seemed to be mountain-sized. Standing several feet in front of him, was a figure dressed in armor as black as night. He turned around, eyes leaking pure darkness. **“I had a feeling it would be you, boy. Be known that by the will of my Queen, you and your companions are marked for death. As long as I live, you will never be safe.** **By Her will, humans and monsters alike will perish in darkness.** **”**_

Shirou gasped, once again surprised. That last part wasn’t a future vision, he was sure. He had mentally linked with someone else, if briefly. “I… I don’t know what I just saw…?!”

“Aw, that’s a shame,” Ralsei sighed, “seeing the future might’ve been helpful...”

“Bah, I’m losing my touch,” Seam said. “Sorry about that. Maybe another time once I’ve shaken off the rust. But I might charge for it next time, hehehe. At least it’ll he a nice time-killer.”

“After seeing Emiya freak out, I think I’m gonna say yes to that offer,” Susie grinned.

“Well, it was an interesting experience, nonetheless,” Shirou said, as he began to depart, his companions following. “Farewell, Seam. Thank you for the equipment.”

“You’re welcome, boy. Well, I hope you don’t die out there. I’d rather we die here, drinking as this maddened world ends,” Seam chuckled.

Shirou shook his head. _That poor fellow has really lost all hope… What does he know that we don’t?_

**Author's Note:**

> Right, that's the first part of Chapter 1 done.
> 
> Shirou is NOT Kris. He's a very different person from both what he's portrayed as through the player's actions and what Kris' 'real' personality is implied to be like. While he's not F/SN Shirou, this version of Shirou is a nice guy, but he's also not the out-of-the-loop butt-monkey he is in Prisma Illya. He admires Kiritsugu in a healthier manner, and while he thinks of the idea of being a hero to be neat, he's also not obsessed with 'saving everyone' - he'll avoid violence and killing if it can be helped, but if he feels killing is unavoidable to do what's right, he'll do it, albeit reluctantly.
> 
> I'm also altering the plot and some of the mechanics to take into account the fact that there is NOT a player involved in the narrative. However, there are aspects of Deltarune's mechanics which I plan to play around with for some more interesting action and strategy later on. But we'll see how it works out.
> 
> Really, hopefully I can do this crossover at least a little bit of justice.


End file.
